Notre Dame had an out-of-nowhere loss to Northern Illinois a week ago and followed it up with what was probably an equally out-of-nowhere beatdown of Purdue in West Lafayette.
The Irish dominated the game from start to finish, winning 66-7 in what will officially go down as their largest blowout in the 88-game history of the series.
The 66 points are the most Notre Dame has scored in a game since Sept. 14, 2019, when it also put 66 points on the board in a win over New Mexico. The 59-point margin is the largest in a single game for the Irish since Nov. 23, 1996, when Notre Dame beat Rutgers 62-0.
After last week’s loss, Freeman said his team started to believe the hype it was receiving as a shoo-in for the College Football Playoff. They were flat against NIU, scoring just 14 points and averaging only 4.7 yards per play.
For whatever frustrations existed in the Notre Dame locker room following that performance, Purdue offered a willing punching bag.
The Boilermakers did not contain whatsoever. They gave up 379 rushing yards on 41 carries (adjusted for sacks). Tailback Jeremiyah Love ran for 109 yards and a score on 10 carries. Quarterback Riley Leonard had 100 yards and 3 scores on 11 rushing attempts. Jadarian Price had 86 yards and a score on 8 carries.
Per Notre Dame’s communications team, Leonard became the first FBS player with 100 pass yards, 100 rush yards, and 3 rushing touchdowns in a first half since Lamar Jackson did it in 2016.
Notre Dame did its damage in the second quarter, scoring 28 points on huge, momentum plays. Leonard had touchdown runs of 34 and 13 yards to begin the scoring in the second. Boubacar Traore returned an interception 34 yards to the house with less than 2 minutes before halftime. Then Price hit a 70-yard touchdown run as the Irish were trying to just run the clock out on the half.
That run pretty well summed up Purdue’s defensive effort on the afternoon.
70 YARDS TO THE HOUSE. pic.twitter.com/t8EGjFGdOW
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) September 14, 2024
The 362 official rushing yards were the most by a Purdue opponent since Wisconsin put 403 on the Boilermakers in 2019.
Notre Dame’s defense was equally as dominant. Purdue had only 72 total yards in the first half. It finished with 162 yards of offense at 3.3 per play. The Boilers went 1-for-12 on third down and 0-for-1 on fourth down while committing 2 turnovers.
Now back on track, the Irish turn their attention to Miami (OH) for a home game next Saturday on NBC (3:30 p.m. ET). Highlights from the Week 3 win are below.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
